Yes - I suppose I should rather buy the Winston book than seeking knowledge in BeeCraft.

My head is spinning in confusion now, Gavin - but I can also see that I did not frame my question properly. (I so often get my sentences wrong!)

Nectar going from the crop to the ventriculus is filtered - I understand that. But that nectar isn't then passed back up through the ventriculus into another bee's mouth in a nicely filtered state (as EW is saying in her second sentence) - or is it? Once through the proventriculus it can only go out and out and onto the washing.

I'm now also curious what is partially wrong and partially right in the first sentence.

Kitta (and I hope I did not mangle my thoughts again.)