diff --git a/ethcore/src/verification/queue/mod.rs b/ethcore/src/verification/queue/mod.rs
index f4a9287d6..b4f2ab5a2 100644
--- a/ethcore/src/verification/queue/mod.rs
+++ b/ethcore/src/verification/queue/mod.rs
@@ -191,9 +191,6 @@ struct Verification<K: Kind> {
 	bad: Mutex<HashSet<H256>>,
 	more_to_verify: SMutex<()>,
 	empty: SMutex<()>,
-	verified_count: AtomicUsize,
-	drained: AtomicUsize,
-	imported: AtomicUsize,
 	sizes: Sizes,
 	check_seal: bool,
 }
@@ -208,9 +205,6 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 			bad: Mutex::new(HashSet::new()),
 			more_to_verify: SMutex::new(()),
 			empty: SMutex::new(()),
-			verified_count: AtomicUsize::new(0),
-			drained: AtomicUsize::new(0),
-			imported: AtomicUsize::new(0),
 			sizes: Sizes {
 				unverified: AtomicUsize::new(0),
 				verifying: AtomicUsize::new(0),
@@ -355,7 +349,7 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 						// we're next!
 						let mut verified = verification.verified.lock();
 						let mut bad = verification.bad.lock();
-						VerificationQueue::drain_verifying(&mut verifying, &mut verified, &mut bad, &verification.verified_count, &verification.sizes);
+						VerificationQueue::drain_verifying(&mut verifying, &mut verified, &mut bad, &verification.sizes);
 						true
 					} else {
 						false
@@ -370,7 +364,7 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 					verifying.retain(|e| e.hash != hash);
 
 					if verifying.front().map_or(false, |x| x.output.is_some()) {
-						VerificationQueue::drain_verifying(&mut verifying, &mut verified, &mut bad, &verification.verified_count, &verification.sizes);
+						VerificationQueue::drain_verifying(&mut verifying, &mut verified, &mut bad, &verification.sizes);
 						true
 					} else {
 						false
@@ -388,10 +382,8 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 		verifying: &mut VecDeque<Verifying<K>>,
 		verified: &mut VecDeque<K::Verified>,
 		bad: &mut HashSet<H256>,
-		v_count: &AtomicUsize,
 		sizes: &Sizes,
 	) {
-		let start_len = verified.len();
 		let mut removed_size = 0;
 		let mut inserted_size = 0;
 
@@ -408,7 +400,6 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 			}
 		}
 
-		v_count.fetch_add(verified.len() - start_len, AtomicOrdering::AcqRel);
 		sizes.verifying.fetch_sub(removed_size, AtomicOrdering::SeqCst);
 		sizes.verified.fetch_add(inserted_size, AtomicOrdering::SeqCst);
 	}
@@ -474,7 +465,6 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 
 				self.processing.write().insert(h.clone());
 				self.verification.unverified.lock().push_back(item);
-				self.verification.imported.fetch_add(1, AtomicOrdering::AcqRel);
 				self.more_to_verify.notify_all();
 				Ok(h)
 			},
@@ -536,8 +526,6 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 		let count = min(max, verified.len());
 		let result = verified.drain(..count).collect::<Vec<_>>();
 
-		self.verification.drained.fetch_add(result.len(), AtomicOrdering::AcqRel);
-
 		let drained_size = result.iter().map(HeapSizeOf::heap_size_of_children).fold(0, |a, c| a + c);
 		self.verification.sizes.verified.fetch_sub(drained_size, AtomicOrdering::SeqCst);
 
@@ -588,11 +576,22 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 		// when deciding whether to change the number of verifiers.
 		const READJUSTMENT_PERIOD: usize = 12;
 
-		{
-			self.verification.unverified.lock().shrink_to_fit();
+		let (u_len, v_len) = {
+			let u_len = {
+				let mut q = self.verification.unverified.lock();
+				q.shrink_to_fit();
+				q.len()
+			};
 			self.verification.verifying.lock().shrink_to_fit();
-			self.verification.verified.lock().shrink_to_fit();
-		}
+
+			let v_len = {
+				let mut q = self.verification.verified.lock();
+				q.shrink_to_fit();
+				q.len()
+			};
+
+			(u_len as isize, v_len as isize)
+		};
 
 		self.processing.write().shrink_to_fit();
 
@@ -603,31 +602,22 @@ impl<K: Kind> VerificationQueue<K> {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		let v_count = self.verification.verified_count.load(AtomicOrdering::Acquire);
-		let drained = self.verification.drained.load(AtomicOrdering::Acquire);
-		let imported = self.verification.imported.load(AtomicOrdering::Acquire);
+		let current = self.verifiers.lock().1;
 
-		self.verification.verified_count.store(0, AtomicOrdering::Release);
-		self.verification.drained.store(0, AtomicOrdering::Release);
-		self.verification.imported.store(0, AtomicOrdering::Release);
+		let diff = (v_len - u_len).abs();
+		let total = v_len + u_len;
 
-		// select which side of the queue is the bottleneck.
-		let target = min(drained, imported);
-
-		// compute the average rate of verification per thread and determine
-		// how many are necessary to match the rate of draining.
-		let num_verifiers = self.verifiers.lock().1;
-		let v_count_per = v_count as f64 / num_verifiers as f64;
-		let needed = if v_count < 20 {
-			1
-		} else {
-			(target as f64 / v_count_per as f64).ceil() as usize
-		};
-
-		trace!(target: "verification", "v_rate_per={}, target={}, scaling to {} verifiers",
-			v_count_per, target, needed);
-
-		self.scale_verifiers(needed);
+		self.scale_verifiers(
+			if u_len < 20 {
+				1
+			} else if diff <= total / 10 {
+				current
+			} else if v_len > u_len {
+				current - 1
+			} else {
+				current + 1
+			}
+		);
 	}
 
 	// wake up or sleep verifiers to get as close to the target as