Where did you get the idea of insect repellent? Usually it takes a plant with strong aromatic oils to be repellent to insects. Not beautybush. I have a wonderful herbal insect repellent that I use every day. The oils in it are cedar, citronella, peppermint, lemongrass and geranium.
As far as I know, the berries are edible to birds but people don't usually consume them. Just because birds eat them doesn't mean they won't poison a person, so do be careful what you eat out there!