Abstract: A method for repelling arthropods involving treating a subject or an object with an arthropod repelling composition containing an arthropod repelling effective amount of at least one clerodane of the formula in which R1 is H, halogen, formyl, a straight chain or branched C1-4 saturated alkyl, a straight chain or branched C2-4 unsaturated alkyl, or an aryl containing 6-10 carbon atoms in the ring skeleton thereof, wherein R1 is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents, which are the same or different, selected from the group consisting of oxo (?O), OR2, CO2R2, and OC(O)R2, wherein R2 is H, a straight chain or branched C1-30 saturated alkyl, a straight chain or branched C2-30 unsaturated alkyl, or an aryl comprising 6-10 carbon atoms in the ring skeleton thereof; wherein R2 is unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, amino, hydroxyl, oxo (?O), thio, cyano and nitro; optionally a carrier, optionally an arthropod repellant, an