diff --git a/tests/test_warcprox.py b/tests/test_warcprox.py
index 281d1f9..ebca589 100755
--- a/tests/test_warcprox.py
+++ b/tests/test_warcprox.py
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ import certauth.certauth
 
 import warcprox
 
-# logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.INFO,
-logging.basicConfig(stream=sys.stdout, level=warcprox.TRACE,
+logging.basicConfig(
+        stream=sys.stdout, level=logging.INFO, # level=warcprox.TRACE,
         format='%(asctime)s %(process)d %(levelname)s %(threadName)s '
         '%(name)s.%(funcName)s(%(filename)s:%(lineno)d) %(message)s')
 logging.getLogger("requests.packages.urllib3").setLevel(logging.WARN)
@@ -194,9 +194,9 @@ def captures_db(request, rethinkdb_servers, rethinkdb_big_table):
     def fin():
         if captures_db:
             captures_db.close()
-            logging.info('dropping rethinkdb database {}'.format(db))
-            result = captures_db.r.db_drop(db).run()
-            logging.info("result=%s", result)
+            # logging.info('dropping rethinkdb database {}'.format(db))
+            # result = captures_db.r.db_drop(db).run()
+            # logging.info("result=%s", result)
     request.addfinalizer(fin)
 
     return captures_db
@@ -862,40 +862,55 @@ def test_host_doc_limit(
     time.sleep(0.5)
 
     # same host but different scheme and port -- host limit still applies
-    url = 'https://localhost:{}/q/r'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
-    for i in range(9):
+    url = 'https://localhost:{}/o/p'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
+    for i in range(8):
         response = requests.get(
                 url, proxies=archiving_proxies, headers=headers, stream=True,
                 verify=False)
         assert response.status_code == 200
-        assert response.headers['warcprox-test-header'] == 'q!'
-        assert response.content == b'I am the warcprox test payload! rrrrrrrrrr!\n'
+        assert response.headers['warcprox-test-header'] == 'o!'
+        assert response.content == b'I am the warcprox test payload! pppppppppp!\n'
 
     # wait for writer thread to process
     time.sleep(0.5)
     while not warcprox_.warc_writer_thread.idle:
         time.sleep(0.5)
+    # rethinkdb stats db update cycle is 2 seconds (at the moment anyway)
+    time.sleep(2.0)
+
+    response = requests.get(
+            url, proxies=archiving_proxies, headers=headers, stream=True,
+            verify=False)
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.headers['warcprox-test-header'] == 'o!'
+    assert response.content == b'I am the warcprox test payload! pppppppppp!\n'
+
+    # wait for writer thread to process
     time.sleep(0.5)
+    while not warcprox_.warc_writer_thread.idle:
+        time.sleep(0.5)
+    # rethinkdb stats db update cycle is 2 seconds (at the moment anyway)
+    time.sleep(2.0)
 
     # back to http, and this is the 11th request
-    url = 'http://localhost:{}/u/v'.format(http_daemon.server_port)
+    url = 'http://localhost:{}/o/p'.format(http_daemon.server_port)
     response = requests.get(
             url, proxies=archiving_proxies, headers=headers, stream=True)
     assert response.status_code == 420
     assert response.reason == "Reached limit"
-    expected_response_meta = {'reached-limit': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls': 10}, 'stats': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost': {'total': {'urls': 10, 'wire_bytes': 1350}, 'revisit': {'urls': 8, 'wire_bytes': 1080}, 'bucket': 'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost', 'new': {'urls': 2, 'wire_bytes': 270}}}}
+    expected_response_meta = {'reached-limit': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls': 10}, 'stats': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost': {'bucket': 'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost', 'revisit': {'wire_bytes': 1215, 'urls': 9}, 'new': {'wire_bytes': 135, 'urls': 1}, 'total': {'wire_bytes': 1350, 'urls': 10}}}}
     assert json.loads(response.headers["warcprox-meta"]) == expected_response_meta
     assert response.headers["content-type"] == "text/plain;charset=utf-8"
     assert response.raw.data == b"request rejected by warcprox: reached limit test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls=10\n"
 
     # https also blocked
-    url = 'https://localhost:{}/w/x'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
+    url = 'https://localhost:{}/o/p'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
     response = requests.get(
             url, proxies=archiving_proxies, headers=headers, stream=True,
             verify=False)
     assert response.status_code == 420
     assert response.reason == "Reached limit"
-    expected_response_meta = {'reached-limit': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls': 10}, 'stats': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost': {'total': {'urls': 10, 'wire_bytes': 1350}, 'revisit': {'urls': 8, 'wire_bytes': 1080}, 'bucket': 'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost', 'new': {'urls': 2, 'wire_bytes': 270}}}}
+    expected_response_meta = {'reached-limit': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls': 10}, 'stats': {'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost': {'bucket': 'test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost', 'revisit': {'wire_bytes': 1215, 'urls': 9}, 'new': {'wire_bytes': 135, 'urls': 1}, 'total': {'wire_bytes': 1350, 'urls': 10}}}}
     assert json.loads(response.headers["warcprox-meta"]) == expected_response_meta
     assert response.headers["content-type"] == "text/plain;charset=utf-8"
     assert response.raw.data == b"request rejected by warcprox: reached limit test_host_doc_limit_bucket:localhost.total.urls=10\n"
@@ -920,7 +935,8 @@ def test_host_data_limit(
     time.sleep(0.5)
     while not warcprox_.warc_writer_thread.idle:
         time.sleep(0.5)
-    time.sleep(0.5)
+    # rethinkdb stats db update cycle is 2 seconds (at the moment anyway)
+    time.sleep(2.0)
 
     # duplicate, does not count toward limit
     url = 'https://localhost:{}/y/z'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
@@ -935,7 +951,8 @@ def test_host_data_limit(
     time.sleep(0.5)
     while not warcprox_.warc_writer_thread.idle:
         time.sleep(0.5)
-    time.sleep(0.5)
+    # rethinkdb stats db update cycle is 2 seconds (at the moment anyway)
+    time.sleep(2.0)
 
     # novel, pushes stats over the limit
     url = 'https://localhost:{}/z/~'.format(https_daemon.server_port)
@@ -950,7 +967,8 @@ def test_host_data_limit(
     time.sleep(0.5)
     while not warcprox_.warc_writer_thread.idle:
         time.sleep(0.5)
-    time.sleep(0.5)
+    # rethinkdb stats db update cycle is 2 seconds (at the moment anyway)
+    time.sleep(2.0)
 
     # blocked because we're over the limit now
     url = 'http://localhost:{}/y/z'.format(http_daemon.server_port)
diff --git a/warcprox/controller.py b/warcprox/controller.py
index 760a1e8..540371a 100644
--- a/warcprox/controller.py
+++ b/warcprox/controller.py
@@ -142,7 +142,9 @@ class WarcproxController(object):
         status_info['queue_size'] = self.proxy.recorded_url_q.qsize()
 
         self.status_info = self.service_registry.heartbeat(status_info)
-        self.logger.debug("status in service registry: %s", self.status_info)
+        self.logger.log(
+                warcprox.TRACE, "status in service registry: %s",
+                self.status_info)
 
     def run_until_shutdown(self):
         """
diff --git a/warcprox/stats.py b/warcprox/stats.py
index edbb131..8d5b324 100644
--- a/warcprox/stats.py
+++ b/warcprox/stats.py
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ class RethinkStatsDb(StatsDb):
         """Starts batch update repeating timer."""
         self._update_batch() # starts repeating timer
 
-    def _bucket_batch_update_reql(bucket):
+    def _bucket_batch_update_reql(self, bucket):
         return self.r.table(self.table).get(bucket).replace(
             lambda old: r.branch(
                 old.eq(None), self._batch[bucket], old.merge({