Methods of controlling crop pests using aromatic amide insect repellents, methods of making aromatic amide insect repellents, and novel aromatic amide insect repellents

A method of protecting fruit crops from flying insect pests, comprising applying a compound having a formula RxC6Hy—C(═O)—N(Cy) to the fruit crops or to ground or structures adjacent to the fruit crops, wherein:

• RxC6Hy is a substituted phenyl group,
• each R group is independently selected from C1-C6 alkyl, C1-C4 alkyl substituted with 1 to 2n+1 halogen atoms (where n=the number of C atoms in the C1-C4 alkyl group) or a C1-C4 alkoxy group, C6-C10 aryl, C6-C10 aryl substituted with 1-5 halogen atoms or 1 or 2 C1-C4 alkoxy groups, C1-C4 alkoxy, C6-C10 aryloxy, halogen, nitro, cyano, cyanate, isocyanate, nitroso, C1-C4 alkylthio, phenylthio, unsubstituted C1-C4 alkylsulfonyl, C1-C4 alkylsulfonyl substituted with 1 to 2n+1 halogen atoms, phenylsulfonyl, tolylsulfonyl, amino, mono-C1-C4 alkylamino, di-C1-C4 alkylamino, diphenylamino, di-C1-C4 alkylamido, formyl, C2-C7 acyl, or C1-C6 alkoxycarbonyl;
• x is an integer of from 1 to 5 and x+y=5;
• Cy is a C2-C8 substituted or unsubstituted alkadiyl or a substituted or unsubstituted diyl of the formula —(CH2CH2)—O—(CH2CH2)—, —(CH2CH2)—NR′—(CH2CH2)— or —(CH2CH2)—S—(CH2CH2)—, that, along with the N atom in the amide group in the formula, forms a substituted or unsubstituted non-aromatic cyclic group;
• and
• R′ is C1-C6 alkyl, substituted C1-C4 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C6-C10 aryl, or substituted or unsubstituted benzyl.