diff --git a/iterator/iter_utils.c b/iterator/iter_utils.c
index d33db3f53..b2531449d 100644
--- a/iterator/iter_utils.c
+++ b/iterator/iter_utils.c
@@ -946,18 +946,20 @@ void iter_merge_retry_counts(struct delegpt* dp, struct delegpt* old)
 		}
 	}
 	prev = NULL;
-	a = dp->result_list;
+	a = dp->usable_list;
 	while(a) {
 		if(a->attempts >= OUTBOUND_MSG_RETRY) {
+			log_addr(VERB_ALGO, "remove from usable list dp",
+				&a->addr, a->addrlen);
 			/* remove from result list */
 			if(prev)
-				prev->next_result = a->next_result;
-			else	dp->result_list = a->next_result;
+				prev->next_usable = a->next_usable;
+			else	dp->usable_list = a->next_usable;
 			/* prev stays the same */
-			a = a->next_result;
+			a = a->next_usable;
 			continue;
 		}
 		prev = a;
-		a = a->next_result;
+		a = a->next_usable;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/iterator/iterator.c b/iterator/iterator.c
index 10c078803..755a0e34f 100644
--- a/iterator/iterator.c
+++ b/iterator/iterator.c
@@ -1401,6 +1401,7 @@ processLastResort(struct module_qstate* qstate, struct iter_qstate* iq,
 			/* if: no parent NS in cache - go up one level */
 			verbose(VERB_ALGO, "try to grab parent NS");
 			iq->store_parent_NS = 1;
+			iq->parent_NS_old_dp = iq->dp;
 			iq->deleg_msg = NULL;
 			iq->refetch_glue = 1;
 			iq->query_restart_count++;
@@ -1807,7 +1808,6 @@ processQueryResponse(struct module_qstate* qstate, struct iter_qstate* iq,
 				qstate->region);
 		return final_state(iq);
 	} else if(type == RESPONSE_TYPE_REFERRAL) {
-		struct delegpt* old_dp = iq->dp;
 		/* REFERRAL type responses get a reset of the 
 		 * delegation point, and back to the QUERYTARGETS_STATE. */
 		verbose(VERB_DETAIL, "query response was REFERRAL");
@@ -1865,8 +1865,8 @@ processQueryResponse(struct module_qstate* qstate, struct iter_qstate* iq,
 			qstate->region, iq->dp))
 			return error_response(qstate, id, LDNS_RCODE_SERVFAIL);
 		if(iq->store_parent_NS && query_dname_compare(iq->dp->name,
-			old_dp->name) == 0)
-			iter_merge_retry_counts(iq->dp, old_dp);
+			iq->parent_NS_old_dp->name) == 0)
+			iter_merge_retry_counts(iq->dp, iq->parent_NS_old_dp);
 		delegpt_log(VERB_ALGO, iq->dp);
 		/* Count this as a referral. */
 		iq->referral_count++;
diff --git a/iterator/iterator.h b/iterator/iterator.h
index 407d6c598..a5c233d17 100644
--- a/iterator/iterator.h
+++ b/iterator/iterator.h
@@ -252,6 +252,8 @@ struct iter_qstate {
 	 * Enabled once it hits resolution problems, to throttle retries.
 	 */
 	int store_parent_NS;
+	/** the old delegation point with retry counts */
+	struct delegpt* parent_NS_old_dp;
 
 	/**
 	 * The query is for parent-side glue(A or AAAA) for a nameserver.