This disclosure concerns compositions and methods for novel RNA inhibition molecules (e.g., small/short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules), polynucleotides encoding such molecules, use of such novel RNA inhibition molecules to inhibit a target gene by suppressing the expression of the mRNA of the target gene, and for application such as the of control insect pests, and transgenic plants that produce, and are protected, by these novel RNA inhibition molecules are described.