You've seen the meme: don't mow, the dandelions are the bees' first meal of spring. It's a nice idea, but dandelions get oversold.
Bees absolutely use dandelions, but in much of North America, they're neither the first flowers nor the biggest spring food source.
Long before lawns turn yellow with dandelions, bees are working the trees.
Willows are among the earliest and best bee plants on the continent, flowering when little else is available and practically humming with native bees. Maples open early too, producing vast amounts of pollen and nectar. Alders, elms, and other wind-pollinated trees may look insignificant to us, but bees collect their pollen eagerly.
By the time dandelions appear, many bees have already been feeding for weeks.
There's no need to rip out your dandelions. They're useful, and bees will happily visit them. Just don't mistake a lawn full of them for peak pollinator habitat.
If you want to truly feed bees in spring, protect a willow, plant a native tree, and remember that some of the most important flowers of spring are hanging thirty feet above your head.