diff --git a/kong/core/balancer.lua b/kong/core/balancer.lua
index eb32784d611..87185847dc4 100644
--- a/kong/core/balancer.lua
+++ b/kong/core/balancer.lua
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-local utils = require "kong.tools.utils"
 local dns_client = require "dns.client"
 
 local toip = dns_client.toip
diff --git a/spec/01-unit/12-resolver_spec.lua b/spec/01-unit/12-resolver_spec.lua
index 131b35bc772..4b60f270481 100644
--- a/spec/01-unit/12-resolver_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/01-unit/12-resolver_spec.lua
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ describe("Resolver", function()
       end)
 
       -- non existant request_path
-      local api, upstream_url, upstream_host, upstream_table = resolver.execute("/inexistant-mockbin", {})
+      local api, upstream_url, upstream_host, _ = resolver.execute("/inexistant-mockbin", {})
       assert.falsy(api)
       assert.falsy(upstream_url)
       assert.falsy(upstream_host)
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ describe("Resolver", function()
       ngx.status = nil
     end)
     it("should have or not have a trailing slash depending on the request URI", function()
-      local api, upstream_url, upstream_host, upstream_table = resolver.execute("/strip/", {})
+      local api, upstream_url, _, upstream_table = resolver.execute("/strip/", {})
       assert.same(APIS_FIXTURES[9], api)
       assert.same({
           authority = 'mockbin.com',
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ describe("Resolver", function()
     end)
     it("should strip the querystring out of the URI", function()
       -- it will be re-inserted by core.handler just before proxying, once all plugins have been run and eventually modified it
-      local api, upstream_url, upstream_host, upstream_table = resolver.execute("/?hello=world&foo=bar", {["Host"] = "mockbin.com"})
+      local api, upstream_url, _, upstream_table = resolver.execute("/?hello=world&foo=bar", {["Host"] = "mockbin.com"})
       assert.same(APIS_FIXTURES[1], api)
       assert.same({
           authority = 'mockbin.com',
diff --git a/spec/02-integration/04-core/03-dns_spec.lua b/spec/02-integration/04-core/03-dns_spec.lua
index 336d0924a9f..a6dfc7a69ba 100644
--- a/spec/02-integration/04-core/03-dns_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/02-integration/04-core/03-dns_spec.lua
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ local function bad_tcp_server(port, duration, ...)
       assert(server:setoption('reuseaddr', true))
       assert(server:bind("*", port))
       assert(server:listen())
-      local clientlist = {}
       while socket.gettime() < expire do
         local client, err = server:accept()
         socket.sleep(0.1)
@@ -39,6 +38,7 @@ describe("Core DNS", function()
   describe("retries", function()
     
     local retries = 3
+    local client
     
     setup(function()
       assert(helpers.start_kong())