MIAMI -- Workers in the honey industry are concerned that the buzz about Africanized bees in Florida is giving their honeybees a bad reputation.

The Africanized honeybee first appeared in South Florida six years ago. As the number of foreign ships traveling to local ports has grown, so has the population of killer bees.

"We find bad bunches of bees in pockets, not vast numbers of the bad bees," said Bud Grant, an apiary inspector with the state of Florida. "It's isolated. When we find them, we destroy them."

Grant is the first line of defense in the state's effort to protect people from the killer bees. He canvasses the ports and local honey farms, setting traps and checking hives.

At the Del Signore Apiary in Goulds, workers do not worry much about killer bees as they extract honey from manmade hives, but the Africanized species of the insect threatens Florida's honey industry. Owner Lee Del Signore fears those highly publicized but rare attacks could turn the public against beekeepers and force them out of business.

"We try to be responsible. We understand that African bees aren't that friendly," Del Signore said.

Grant said Africanized bees have given European honeybees a bad name. People are so concerned about being stung that they forget how important honeybees are to getting food on their tables.

"The farmers and the beekeepers have been here a long time, and yet the people keep coming in tighter and tighter," Grant said.

Grant's efforts are protecting Florida's farming industry, too. Local 10's Roger Lohse went to a zucchini field that is ready to be picked thanks to the cross-pollination work of bees.

State and local beekeepers are working together to keep the Africanized bee population in check.

Africanized bees look just like regular honeybees, but they are more aggressive. As a precaution, experts said people should stay away from all beehives. If you come across one, call a professional to remove it.