Darren,
 
1.  Darker cells with smoother caps are the honey.  Obviously
some honeys are lighter than others.  I have seen honey that
was almost white and the cells looked white.  It was from
Dingle in Ireland.
2.  Those bubble caps are Drone bees.  They are sometimes comared
to Bullets.
 
best of luck with your wonderful new pets.
 
Ike, a software person who has tended bees for ten years