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As a source of aromatic plants, the genus <i>Artemisia</i> has long been considered to have the potential to develop plant pesticides. In this study, components of essential oils from <i>A. dalai-lamae</i>, <i>A. tangutica</i>, <i>A. sieversiana</i>, <i>A. tanacetifolia</i> and <i>A. ordosica</i> were identified by GC-MS. A total of 56 constituents were analysed, and each species consisted of 9 to 24 constituents. Principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that <i>A. dalai-lamae</i>, <i>A. tangutica</i> and <i>A. tanacetifolia</i> are characterised by monoterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated monoterpenes. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) showed the most remarkable similarity between <i>A. sieversiana</i> and <i>A. ordosica</i>, but the similarity was still lower than 50%. Contact toxicity and repellency of essential oils were evaluated by bioassays; <i>A. ordosica</i> oil exhibited the most substantial contact toxicity (LD₅₀ = 52.11 μg/cm²) against <i>Liposcelis bostrychophila</i>, while <i>A. tangutica</i> oil showed the most potent contact toxicity (LD₅₀ = 17.42 μg/adult) against <i>Tribolium castaneum</i>. Except for <i>A. dalai-lamae</i>, the other four species showed the same level (<i>p</i> > 0.05) of repellent activity as the positive control against both pests at high concentrations. The results indicated that these five <i>Artemisia</i> species had high chemical diversity and great potential to be developed into more effective and environmentally friendly anti-insect agents.