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  "description": "The vagaries of the weather, compounded by unexpected events, are what make beekeeping so endlessly fascinating … and challenging. Don't get flustered. Just keep calm and carry on and things should be OK.",
  "path": "/keep-calm-and-carry-on/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-22T16:00:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://theapiarist.org",
  "tags": [
    "internet memes",
    "calmness in adversity",
    "Underland",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "Two and a half million motivational posters bearing the words _Keep Calm and Carry On_ were printed for distribution in mid-1939. In the end, few were ever displayed, and they were forgotten until being rediscovered in a bookshop in Northumberland, in 2000 {{1}}.\n\nThe rest, as they say, is history. The wording has become internationally recognised. It is used as a decorative motto on a range of products … and an almost limitless number of internet memes.\n\nDespite this overexposure, the wording — emphasising stoicism, self-discipline, fortitude, and calmness in adversity — seemed appropriate for today's post.\n\n### Keep Calm and Keep Bees\n\n _'Adversity'_ and _'beekeeping'_ aren't words I expect to find in the same sentence.\n\nIt may not always be a scene of peace and serenity, but there should be few things more calming than spending some time on a warm afternoon watching the bees quietly going about their business.\n\nThe opening paragraph of Underland by Robert Macfarlane captures the feeling perfectly:\n\n> _Late summer heatwave, heavy air. Bees browsing drowsy over meadow grass._\n\nAt least, that's what it should be like.\n\nIf, when you arrive at the apiary, things are like this, and when you leave — having completed your inspections — they're much the same, then you should be pleased with yourself, and with your bees.\n\nYour intrusion, whilst undoubtedly noticed, was soon forgotten. Your inspection technique — the smoking, frame handling, and general absence of fuss — didn't overly disturb the bees. You were tolerated, if not actively welcomed.\n\nSponsors get more … posts, news, and information on the science, art, and practice of sustainable beekeeping. They also have access to over a decade of legacy posts, and ensure __The Apiarist__ continues to appear every week.\n\nSign up as a sponsor\n\nBut it's not always like that.\n\nSometimes events get a little out of control, or it appears as though things are conspiring against you.\n\nOr both.\n\nYou, or the bees, get flustered.\n\nOr both.\n\nAnd then things can rapidly get messy.\n\nYou don't feel in control, or you do things in a rush.\n\nTo avoid this, you need to _“keep calm and carry on”_.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "Keep calm and carry on",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-22T18:00:47.016Z"
}