Field experiments were conducted to compare the sampling efficacy, reliability, and efficiency of a hand-carried pneumatic keep-it-simple sampler (KISS) to that of a tractor-mounted sampler (TMS) and whole-plant hand sampling for detecting and quantifying the presence of boll weevils in prebloom cotton. The sampling efficacy of the KISS was about 50 % that of the TMS, and its reliability, as measured by replication sample variation, was comparable. Sampling efficacy and reliability of the hand sampling method were not determined. The overall sampling efficiency of the KISS, in terms of results reliability and cost in man time, was comparable to that of the TMS and greatly superior to that of the hand sampling method.