Repellent and insecticidal activities of essential oils extracted from leaves of Artemisia princeps Pamp and seeds of Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl. against storage pests Sitophillus oryzae L. and Bruchus rugimanus Bohem were investigated. Results showed that the two individual oils displayed good, but their mixture (1:1) exhibited much better repellent activities at concentrations from 250 to 1000 mu g g(-1) and insecticidal actions at concentrations >= 1000 mu g g(-1) against the test beetles S. oryzae and B. rugimanus. Oils from A. princeps and C camphora applied individually were significantly toxic to seed germination of wheat at 500 mu g ml(-1). However, no toxic effects were found when the two oils were mixed (1:1 w/w) at the same concentration. These observations indicated that the mixture of the two plant-derived oils had a synergic effect and could be used in the control of storage pests. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.