Beekeepers:

Here is a partial quote from the 36th ed. of ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture p.
475:

“The maples bloom so early in the season that their value for pollen and
honey is greatly underestimated. In early spring the colonies are so weak
that a surplus from this source is seldom obtained, and the maples are
regarded as important only for brood rearing. There are about 100 species
in the genus Acer which are confined chiefly to the northern
hemisphere.....”

Maples are also listed in Table 1. beginning on page 446 of the Hive and
the Honey Bee under Nectar and Pollen Plants.

Each spring I travel to upstate NY to make maple syrup. (Leaving again
tonight) There are a few hives on my father’s property and when we are
evaporating sap, bees will be flying through the steam and hovering over
the evaporator. Although I have never seen them at the taps, they will land
on wet towels we use for filtering the sap before it goes into the
evaporator.  Generally they will begin flying as the ambient air
temperature approaches 40 F.

Regards,
Dick