Control and repellency of biting flies, house flies, ticks, ants, fleas, biting midges, cockroaches, spiders and stink bugs is obtained by contact of the insects with at least one of the compounds of the structure (I) wherein R is -OH, =O, -OC(O)R4, -OR6, or -(OR6)2, wherein each R6 is independently an alkyl group containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R4 is a branched or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated, hydrocarbyl group with zero to two double bonds and from 1 to 15 carbon atoms; X is O or CH2, with the proviso that when X is O R can only be =O: each Z is independently (CH) or (CH2); y is a numeral selected from 1 and 2; R1 is H or a branched or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbyl group with zero to two double bonds and from 1 to 15 carbon atoms; R2 is H and a branched or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbyl group with zero to three double bonds and from 1 to 15 carbon atoms; R3 is H, a branched or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbyl group with zero to three double bonds and from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, -(CH2)nOH, -C(O)OR5, -CH2C(O)OR7, -CH2C(O)R8, -C(O)NR9R10, or -CH2C(O)NR11 R12 where each of R5, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12 is independently H or a branched or straight chain, saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbyl group with zero to three double bonds and from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, and n is n integer of from 1 to 12;