Bees and human: mutually beneficial

Virgil encourages readers to consider bees 

    a small society comprising systems worthy of our high esteem.

He describes the perfect bee yard.  It must be protected from winds, close to a tree-lined stream to provide shade and water.  Near the hive 

let all round be gay with ... spreads of fragrant thyme

                                and masses of aromatic savory.

         Let there be gardens to amuse them with the scent of 

                brightly colored flowers... wild strawberries

                 ... a luxury of limes and lindens and lilies ...

In Georgics, Virgin beautifully describes the mutually beneficial relationship that has evolved between bees, flowering plants and humans over the past 10,000 years.  In the 21st century, however, the disappearance of honeybees is a worrisome possibility.  What if this symbiotic relationship ceases to function?  Simply put, if worker bees disappear from our farms, vital foods disappear from our grocery store shelves and Farmers Markets.  Neither tomatoes nor cucumber nor squash can exist without bees to pollinate their flowers.  Almonds and walnut will vanish along with fruits such as  peaches, pears, nectarines and apples.  

Human beings have successfully domesticated several animal species.  Cows, horses, sheep, goats, cats, dogs and honeybees -- all accepted the human invitation to share our lives.  Mutually beneficial relationships have existed between human and these species for thousands of years.  Cows, sheep and goats trade their milk and meat for protection from predators.  Horses accept the confines of safe corrals and give farmers their broad shoulders for work.  This last is an important trade since each horse produces the work of ten people.  Cats trade who-knows-what rewards -- only they truly understand -- for convenient hunts of rats and mice.  Dogs are more forthright.  They alert us to intruders and lap up our appreciation of work well done.