I mailed in a week or so ago with questions about laying workers- thanks for
all the advice, on and off-list.
 
We must have a laying queen, albeit a very shy one because we have never
seen her!  After a few weeks of seeing no queen we got worried, and when
suddenly we saw lots of drone cells among a brood pattern sprinkled with
honey cells, we got more worried.  But after several checks we still have a
normal brood progression  of single egg standing up, then laying down, then
little larvae, etc. and an increasing population.  The drone cells have not
increased much.  So I think we are OK, though this package hive is a little
slow, no doubt due to the week of rainy cold weather here in the Northeast
USA.  It hit after only a few days of apple blossoms and lasted until the
blossoms were gone.
 
My other hive is doing better, it went through the winter, and we can see
the queen readily.
 
Thanks again for your information.  DNBrown