Disclosed are nucleic acids encoding novel insecticidal .delta.-endotoxin polypeptides, and vectors, transformed host cells, and transgenic plants that contain the nucleic acids. Also disclosed are methods of making and using transgenic cells comprising these polynucleotide sequences, as well as methods for controlling an insect population, such as Colorado potato beetle, southern corn rootworm and western corn rootworm, and for conferring to a plant resistance to a target insect species.