diff --git a/include/proto/task.h b/include/proto/task.h
index 9d90b17..86a3c3d 100644
--- a/include/proto/task.h
+++ b/include/proto/task.h
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include <sys/time.h>
 
 #include <common/config.h>
+#include <common/eb32tree.h>
 #include <common/memory.h>
 #include <common/mini-clist.h>
 #include <common/standard.h>
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@
 extern unsigned int run_queue;    /* run queue size */
 extern unsigned int niced_tasks;  /* number of niced tasks in the run queue */
 extern struct pool_head *pool2_task;
-extern struct task *last_timer;   /* optimization: last queued timer */
+extern struct eb32_node *last_timer;   /* optimization: last queued timer */
 
 /* return 0 if task is in run queue, otherwise non-zero */
 static inline int task_in_rq(struct task *t)
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@
 static inline struct task *__task_unlink_wq(struct task *t)
 {
 	eb32_delete(&t->wq);
-	if (last_timer == t)
+	if (last_timer == &t->wq)
 		last_timer = NULL;
 	return t;
 }
diff --git a/src/task.c b/src/task.c
index b46420a..17d825e 100644
--- a/src/task.c
+++ b/src/task.c
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
 unsigned int run_queue = 0;
 unsigned int niced_tasks = 0;      /* number of niced tasks in the run queue */
-struct task *last_timer = NULL;    /* optimization: last queued timer */
+struct eb32_node *last_timer = NULL;  /* optimization: last queued timer */
 
 static struct eb_root timers;      /* sorted timers tree */
 static struct eb_root rqueue;      /* tree constituting the run queue */
@@ -91,19 +91,22 @@
 #endif
 
 	if (likely(last_timer &&
-		   last_timer->wq.key == task->wq.key &&
-		   last_timer->wq.node.bit == -1 &&
-		   last_timer->wq.node.node_p)) {
+		   last_timer->node.bit < 0 &&
+		   last_timer->key == task->wq.key &&
+		   last_timer->node.node_p)) {
 		/* Most often, last queued timer has the same expiration date, so
 		 * if it's not queued at the root, let's queue a dup directly there.
-		 * Note that we can only use dups at the dup tree's root (bit==-1).
+		 * Note that we can only use dups at the dup tree's root (most
+		 * negative bit).
 		 */
-		eb_insert_dup(&last_timer->wq.node, &task->wq.node);
+		eb_insert_dup(&last_timer->node, &task->wq.node);
+		if (task->wq.node.bit < last_timer->node.bit)
+			last_timer = &task->wq;
 		return;
 	}
 	eb32_insert(&timers, &task->wq);
-	if (task->wq.node.bit == -1)
-		last_timer = task; /* we only want a dup tree's root */
+	if (!last_timer || (task->wq.node.bit < last_timer->node.bit))
+		last_timer = &task->wq;
 	return;
 }