Bees play a critical role in California’s agricultural ecosystems by pollinating many important crops, including almonds. Climate change, habitat loss, pesticides and other factors pose problems for bee populations.

To date, KIND Snacks has donated $350,000 for bee research at UC Davis, led by Entomology Professors Neal Williams and Elina Niño for continued research on bee health. California grows the vast majority of the world’s almonds, which rely on bees and other pollinators.

A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis, finds that pesticides not only directly affect bee health, but effects from past exposure can carry over to future generations. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that bees may require multiple generations to recover from even a single application.