Refers to any insect in the clade Anthophila; a general term for bees, often used in biological or ecological contexts.
Bees collect nectar from flowers.
この地域には多くの種類のハナバチが生息している。
Many species of bees inhabit this area.
bumblebee
mining bee; andrenid bee
Katakana spelling is common in biological contexts and general use.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
Compound of 花 (hana, 'flower') and 蜂 (hachi, 'bee'). The kanji spelling 花蜂 directly reflects this, but the word is usually written in kana.