Worker bit

            def work_from_prefetch_queue():
                """ Continuously performs the work from the prefetch queue """
                while True:
                    # As long as we have tasks, we process them
                    while prefetch_queue:
                        ch, method, properties, body = prefetch_queue[0]

                        self.log("Performing prefetched task %s in '%s' " %
                                 (method.delivery_tag, queue_name))
                        perform_callback(ch, method, properties, body)

                        self.log("Sending ACK %s" % method.delivery_tag)
                        ch.basic_ack(delivery_tag=method.delivery_tag)

                        del prefetch_queue[0]

                    # when no more tasks, we sleep a little
                    sleep(0.1)

            # Start the actual thread
            working_thread = Thread(target=work_from_prefetch_queue)
            working_thread.start()

            self.log("Started the working thread for prefetched tasks")

            # PREFETCHING PART

            def prefetch_callback(ch, method, properties, body):
                """ Simple callback that just adds to the prefetch queue """
                prefetch_queue.append((ch, method, properties, body))
                self.log("Prefetched one task (tag %s), there are %s in the queue now" %
                         (method.delivery_tag, len(prefetch_queue)))

                # while len(prefetch_queue) == self.prefetch_count:
                #     sleep(0.01)

            # This will continuously prefetch items and put them in the prefetch queue
            while True:
                try:
                    conn = pika.BlockingConnection(self.param)
                    channel = conn.channel()
                    channel.basic_qos(prefetch_count=self.prefetch_count)
                    channel.basic_consume(prefetch_callback, queue=self.queues[queue_name])
                    self.log("Started consuming for prefetching")
                    channel.start_consuming()
                except Exception, ex:
                    self.log("Something went wrong, with prefetch task watcher '%s' trying again.\n %s "
                             % (queue_name, ex))
                    sleep(1)