Prevention is more satisfactory than treatment, and since conenoses live in woodrat dens, these rodents should be eliminated from the vicinity. Weatherstripping around all permanent doors and screen doors, tight-fitting, holeless screens in all windows, and fine screens in fireplace chimneys will help to keep the bugs out of houses. Occasionally they may be seen on walls and ceilings in the evening, and may be killed with a flyswatter. If impossible to keep the insects out of the house, sleeping persons may be protected by the use of mosquito netting. It is especially important that the beds of babies and young children should be safe-guarded because of the danger from scorpions. [Illustration: _Common ant_] Bedding should be shaken thoroughly just before children retire, because both scorpions and conenose bugs have a habit of concealing themselves in bedding during the daytime. Ants, wasps, hornets, bees Stinging insects all belong to the group _Hymenoptera_ and consist of the families _Apidae_ (honeybee, etc.), _Bombidae_ (bumblebee), _Vespidae_ (wasps and hornets), _Sphecidae_ (thread-waisted wasps), _Mutillidae_ (velvet ants), and _Formicidae_ (the ants). [Illustration: _Wasp_] _In general, the only treatment recommended for insect stings is to bathe the parts with ordinary liquid household bluing just as soon as possible after the sting has been received, and apply hot compresses. However, certain specific treatments are advised, depending upon the particular species or condition._ Some persons are extremely susceptible to insect bites and stings, and preliminary work has been done in trying to immunize those sensitive individuals, but, in general, with very little success. The problem of immunizing or desensitizing persons who are allergic to insect bites and stings is one of considerable importance, as such unfortunate persons will testify. Because of the fact that honeybees are of such great economic importance, not only as producers of an important food but also as pollenizers of fruit, vegetable, seed, and other crops, they will be discussed separately from the other stinging insects. Everyone is familiar with ants, wasps, hornets, and bumblebees, and there are very few persons who have not had unpleasant experiences with one or more of these groups of insects. _Ants and velvet ants_ Velvet ants, which are in reality wingless wasps and not true ants, are not as well known as the others, although the little creatures that scurry about like brightly dyed bits of cotton are quite numerous in the desert.