I just had a great morning. I checked my bees for the first time in a week, and everything seemed very good. My smoker arrived this week, and this was the first time I had ever used one. I assumed I'd have trouble keeping it lit, but I kept a nice flow of puffy, white smoke during the whole process. (More beginner's luck than skill, I'll admit.)

I used paper sacks -- like the old grocery bags -- in the smoker. I assume that was okay?

I saw the queen again, plus some larvae of varying sizes. I noticed that, in the center of a couple of the frames, there are bulging cells. Some are capped and bullet-shaped. Are these supercedure cells or perhaps drone cells?

Phil