This invention relates to pteridine and 8-deazapteridine compounds and compositions containing the same which are useful for controlling insects in agricultural crops. These pteridines may be represented by the following structure: ##STR1## wherein R and R.sup.1 are independently selected from amino, lower alkylamino, di(lower alkyl)amino (e.g., --N(CH.sub.3).sub.2), or di(lower alkyl)aminomethyleneamino (e.g., --N.dbd.CHN(CH.sub.3).sub.2);R.sup.2 is hydrogen, amino, lower alkyl (e.g., --CH.sub.3, --CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2), di(lower alkyl)aminomethyleneamino, hydroxy, lower alkoxy, phenyl or substituted phenyl, haloalkylphenylalkyl (e.g., 3-trifluoromethylphenylmethyl);Q is N or CH;R.sup.3 is -(n).sub.m -R.sup.4, where m is 0 or 1; wherein, when m is 1,n is a bridging atom or moiety selected from oxygen, sulfur, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, lower alkylene (e.g., --CH.sub.2 --, or --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 --), lower alkenylene (e.g., --CH.dbd.CH--), lower alkynylene (e.g., --C.tbd.C--), lower haloalkenylene (e.g., --C(Cl).dbd.CH--), carbonyl, aminomethyl (e.g., --CH.sub.2 NH--), or (substituted amino)methyl (e.g., --CH.sub.2 N(CH.sub.3)--); andR.sup.4 is hydrogen, lower alkyl (e.g., --CH.sub.3, or --CH(CH.sub.3).sub.2), thien-2-yl, pyridin-3-yl, or ##STR2## wherein (i) V, W, X, Y, and Z are as defined herein.