Abstract  Egg-laying behavior of insect is critical for completing their ontogeny, reproduction, and maintaining population stability. Chemical cues play a dominant role in regulating insect oviposition. Volatile organic compounds released by plants, insects, and microorganisms influence the detection and localization of insect oviposition sites. Exploiting and rationally applying these chemical cues to regulate insect behaviors is an important strategy for environmentally friendly pest control. This article summarizes the diverse egg-laying strategies of insects and their contributing factors, details the sources of chemical information that regulate insect oviposition behavior, and lists the regulatory effects of volatiles released by plants, insect semiochemicals and microorganisms on insect behaviors. The mechanism and research status of oviposition selection mediated by chemical cues are illustrated on the mechanism of the important chemoreceptor proteins in the insect peripheral nervous system, and applications in environmentally friendly prevention and control of agricultural pests are reviewed. Finally, future research directions are prospected.