The invention relates to a method for controlling pests of a cotton plant comprising the step of contacting the cotton plant parts of it or its propagation material with components of the ginkgo tree selected from bilobalide ginkgolide A ginkgolide B ginkgolide C ginkgolide J ginkgolide M and mixtures thereof and to the uses of said components of the ginkgo tree for controlling pests in said cotton plant parts of it or its propagation material.