Hawai'i honey production fell to 920,000 pounds in 2007, a 1 percent decline from the previous year, according to the Hawai'i office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The number of honey-producing colonies totaled 10,000, unchanged from 2006.

Honey yield per colony averaged 92 pounds, down 1 percent from 2006. Honey producers received an average of $1.58 a pound for their product in 2007, 31 percent more than in 2006. Total farm value was $1.5 million, up 29 percent from the year before.

In early April, beekeepers on O'ahu encountered the varroa mite, a pest that is damaging to bee colonies, NASS noted. Previously, Hawai'i was one of the few places known to be free of the mite.

"Some operations reported being negatively impacted by the mites," according to the the NASS report.

"In other areas of the state, prolonged dry periods reduced food sources for bees, resulting in less than optimal conditions for honey production, the report said.