diff --git a/calico/felix/actor.py b/calico/felix/actor.py
index bb353559a20..49d716fbed4 100644
--- a/calico/felix/actor.py
+++ b/calico/felix/actor.py
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@
 """
 import collections
 import functools
+from calico.monotonic import monotonic_time
 import gevent
 import gevent.local
 import logging
@@ -114,6 +115,10 @@
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Minimum gevent scheduling delay.  A delay of 0 should mean "yield" but
+# gevent has a known issue that a greenlet that sleeps for 0 may be rescheduled
+# immediately.  Any small positive value is enough to truly yield.
+MIN_DELAY = 0.000001
 
 ResultOrExc = collections.namedtuple("ResultOrExc", ("result", "exception"))
 
@@ -129,9 +134,16 @@ class Actor(object):
     Class that contains a queue and a greenlet serving that queue.
     """
 
-    max_ops_before_yield = 10000
+    max_ops_before_yield = 1000
     """Number of calls to self._maybe_yield before it yields"""
 
+    batch_delay = 0.01
+    """
+    Minimum delay between schedules of this Actor.  Larger values encourage
+    more batching of messages and reduce starvation (but introduce more
+    latency when we're under load).
+    """
+
     def __init__(self, qualifier=None):
         self._event_queue = collections.deque()
 
@@ -139,6 +151,8 @@ def __init__(self, qualifier=None):
         # queue or has been scheduled to do so.  Set to False when the loop
         # runs out of work and switches to the Hub to wait for more.
         self._scheduled = True
+        # (Monotonic time) timestamp of last schedule.
+        self._last_scheduled = None
         # Cache the gevent Hub and main loop.
         self._gevent_hub = gevent.get_hub()
         self._gevent_loop = self._gevent_hub.loop
@@ -178,10 +192,23 @@ def maybe_schedule(self, caller):
         # logging between the test and set of self._scheduled.
         if not self._scheduled:
             self._scheduled = True
+            # Calculate the scheduling delay.  If this Actor hasn't been
+            # scheduled for a long time, we'll schedule it straight away,
+            # otherwise we back off to the batch_delay to encourage work to be
+            # batched up when we're under load.
+            now = monotonic_time()
+            if self._last_scheduled is not None:
+                time_since_last_schedule = now - self._last_scheduled
+                delay = max(self.batch_delay - time_since_last_schedule,
+                            MIN_DELAY)
+            else:
+                delay = MIN_DELAY
             # We can't switch directly to the Actor's greenlet because that
             # prevents gevent from doing its scheduling.  Instead, we ask the
             # gevent event loop to switch to the greenlet.
-            self._gevent_loop.run_callback(self._switch, caller)
+            t = self._gevent_loop.timer(delay)
+            t.start(self._switch, caller)
+            self._last_scheduled = now
             _log.debug("Scheduled %s", self)
 
     def _switch(self, value):
@@ -418,7 +445,7 @@ def _maybe_yield(self):
         """
         self._op_count += 1
         if self._op_count >= self.max_ops_before_yield:
-            gevent.sleep()
+            gevent.sleep(MIN_DELAY)
             self._op_count = 0
 
     def __str__(self):
diff --git a/calico/felix/test/test_actor.py b/calico/felix/test/test_actor.py
index d56189426c4..09ed6e6239b 100644
--- a/calico/felix/test/test_actor.py
+++ b/calico/felix/test/test_actor.py
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ def test_yield(self, m_sleep):
         self._actor.do_a(async=False)
         self._actor.do_a(async=False)
         self._actor.do_a(async=False)
-        m_sleep.assert_called_once_with()
+        m_sleep.assert_called_once_with(0.000001)
 
     def test_wait_and_check_no_input(self):
         actor.wait_and_check([])