A pest-combating composition including sodium lauryl sulfate and one or more of C6-12 fatty acids, preferably lauric and/or capric and/or caprylic acid, soy methyl ester, and 2-undecanone, and methods of combating pests utilizing same, are disclosed. The compositions can include a carrier oil such as silicon oil, soy methyl ester, or a vegetable oil, and can be in the form of an emulsion. The composition may be constituted as a spray composition, an aerosol, a lotion, a paste, or another compositional form. Pests that may be usefully combated with such composition include flying insects, including flies, mosquitoes, and wasps, ants, including arthropods such as fire ants, ticks, fleas, cockroaches, silver fish, thrips, gnats, aphids, Japanese beetles, and agricultural and horticultural arthropods and insects including beetles (potato and bean), flea beetles, fleahoppers, squash bugs, slugs, leaf hoppers, harlequin bugs, milk weed bugs, spiders, mites, lice, rodents, and deer.