I went through my 2 hives yesterday, and noticed that the marked queen that I got with a package last spring looks kind of small and skinny compared to the other one (her daughter) that I raised late last summer. That wasn't the case last fall. Both seem to be producing reasonable amounts of brood, and I didn't notice any queen cells although I wasn't really looking for them, and I didn't do a full and thorough inspection.
I worry too much? Maybe I should go back and look for swarm cells?