diff --git a/src/avalanche/test/processor_tests.cpp b/src/avalanche/test/processor_tests.cpp
--- a/src/avalanche/test/processor_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/avalanche/test/processor_tests.cpp
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@
         m_node.connman = std::move(connman);
         m_node.peerman = ::PeerManager::make(
             config.GetChainParams(), *m_connman, m_node.banman.get(),
-            *m_node.scheduler, *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+            *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
         m_node.chain = interfaces::MakeChain(m_node, config.GetChainParams());
 
         // Get the processor ready.
diff --git a/src/init.cpp b/src/init.cpp
--- a/src/init.cpp
+++ b/src/init.cpp
@@ -2388,10 +2388,9 @@
     ChainstateManager &chainman = *node.chainman;
 
     assert(!node.peerman);
-    node.peerman =
-        PeerManager::make(chainparams, *node.connman, node.banman.get(),
-                          *node.scheduler, chainman, *node.mempool,
-                          args.GetBoolArg("-blocksonly", DEFAULT_BLOCKSONLY));
+    node.peerman = PeerManager::make(
+        chainparams, *node.connman, node.banman.get(), chainman, *node.mempool,
+        args.GetBoolArg("-blocksonly", DEFAULT_BLOCKSONLY));
     RegisterValidationInterface(node.peerman.get());
 
     // sanitize comments per BIP-0014, format user agent and check total size
@@ -3159,6 +3158,10 @@
         },
         DUMP_BANS_INTERVAL);
 
+    if (node.peerman) {
+        node.peerman->StartScheduledTasks(*node.scheduler);
+    }
+
     // Start Avalanche's event loop.
     g_avalanche->startEventLoop(*node.scheduler);
 
diff --git a/src/net_processing.h b/src/net_processing.h
--- a/src/net_processing.h
+++ b/src/net_processing.h
@@ -49,12 +49,16 @@
 
 class PeerManager : public CValidationInterface, public NetEventsInterface {
 public:
-    static std::unique_ptr<PeerManager>
-    make(const CChainParams &chainparams, CConnman &connman, BanMan *banman,
-         CScheduler &scheduler, ChainstateManager &chainman, CTxMemPool &pool,
-         bool ignore_incoming_txs);
+    static std::unique_ptr<PeerManager> make(const CChainParams &chainparams,
+                                             CConnman &connman, BanMan *banman,
+                                             ChainstateManager &chainman,
+                                             CTxMemPool &pool,
+                                             bool ignore_incoming_txs);
     virtual ~PeerManager() {}
 
+    /** Begin running background tasks, should only be called once */
+    virtual void StartScheduledTasks(CScheduler &scheduler) = 0;
+
     /** Get statistics from node state */
     virtual bool GetNodeStateStats(NodeId nodeid, CNodeStateStats &stats) = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -464,9 +464,8 @@
 class PeerManagerImpl final : public PeerManager {
 public:
     PeerManagerImpl(const CChainParams &chainparams, CConnman &connman,
-                    BanMan *banman, CScheduler &scheduler,
-                    ChainstateManager &chainman, CTxMemPool &pool,
-                    bool ignore_incoming_txs);
+                    BanMan *banman, ChainstateManager &chainman,
+                    CTxMemPool &pool, bool ignore_incoming_txs);
 
     /** Overridden from CValidationInterface. */
     void BlockConnected(const std::shared_ptr<const CBlock> &pblock,
@@ -491,6 +490,7 @@
         EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(pto->cs_sendProcessing);
 
     /** Implement PeerManager */
+    void StartScheduledTasks(CScheduler &scheduler) override;
     void CheckForStaleTipAndEvictPeers() override;
     bool GetNodeStateStats(NodeId nodeid, CNodeStateStats &stats) override;
     bool IgnoresIncomingTxs() override { return m_ignore_incoming_txs; }
@@ -2049,17 +2049,14 @@
 
 std::unique_ptr<PeerManager>
 PeerManager::make(const CChainParams &chainparams, CConnman &connman,
-                  BanMan *banman, CScheduler &scheduler,
-                  ChainstateManager &chainman, CTxMemPool &pool,
+                  BanMan *banman, ChainstateManager &chainman, CTxMemPool &pool,
                   bool ignore_incoming_txs) {
-    return std::make_unique<PeerManagerImpl>(chainparams, connman, banman,
-                                             scheduler, chainman, pool,
-                                             ignore_incoming_txs);
+    return std::make_unique<PeerManagerImpl>(
+        chainparams, connman, banman, chainman, pool, ignore_incoming_txs);
 }
 
 PeerManagerImpl::PeerManagerImpl(const CChainParams &chainparams,
                                  CConnman &connman, BanMan *banman,
-                                 CScheduler &scheduler,
                                  ChainstateManager &chainman, CTxMemPool &pool,
                                  bool ignore_incoming_txs)
     : m_chainparams(chainparams), m_connman(connman), m_banman(banman),
@@ -2083,7 +2080,9 @@
     // same probability that we have in the reject filter).
     m_recent_confirmed_transactions.reset(
         new CRollingBloomFilter(24000, 0.000001));
+}
 
+void PeerManagerImpl::StartScheduledTasks(CScheduler &scheduler) {
     // Stale tip checking and peer eviction are on two different timers, but we
     // don't want them to get out of sync due to drift in the scheduler, so we
     // combine them in one function and schedule at the quicker (peer-eviction)
diff --git a/src/test/denialofservice_tests.cpp b/src/test/denialofservice_tests.cpp
--- a/src/test/denialofservice_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/denialofservice_tests.cpp
@@ -68,9 +68,9 @@
     auto connman = std::make_unique<CConnman>(config, 0x1337, 0x1337);
     // Disable inactivity checks for this test to avoid interference
     static_cast<ConnmanTestMsg *>(connman.get())->SetPeerConnectTimeout(99999s);
-    auto peerLogic = PeerManager::make(
-        config.GetChainParams(), *connman, nullptr, *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    auto peerLogic =
+        PeerManager::make(config.GetChainParams(), *connman, nullptr,
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
 
     // Mock an outbound peer
     CAddress addr1(ip(0xa0b0c001), NODE_NONE);
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@
     const Config &config = GetConfig();
 
     auto connman = std::make_unique<CConnmanTest>(config, 0x1337, 0x1337);
-    auto peerLogic = PeerManager::make(
-        config.GetChainParams(), *connman, nullptr, *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    auto peerLogic =
+        PeerManager::make(config.GetChainParams(), *connman, nullptr,
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
 
     const Consensus::Params &consensusParams =
         config.GetChainParams().GetConsensus();
@@ -240,9 +240,9 @@
         m_args.GetDataDirBase() / "banlist.dat", config.GetChainParams(),
         nullptr, DEFAULT_MISBEHAVING_BANTIME);
     auto connman = std::make_unique<CConnman>(config, 0x1337, 0x1337);
-    auto peerLogic = PeerManager::make(
-        config.GetChainParams(), *connman, banman.get(), *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    auto peerLogic =
+        PeerManager::make(config.GetChainParams(), *connman, banman.get(),
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
 
     banman->ClearBanned();
     CAddress addr1(ip(0xa0b0c001), NODE_NONE);
@@ -304,9 +304,9 @@
         m_args.GetDataDirBase() / "banlist.dat", config.GetChainParams(),
         nullptr, DEFAULT_MISBEHAVING_BANTIME);
     auto connman = std::make_unique<CConnman>(config, 0x1337, 0x1337);
-    auto peerLogic = PeerManager::make(
-        config.GetChainParams(), *connman, banman.get(), *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    auto peerLogic =
+        PeerManager::make(config.GetChainParams(), *connman, banman.get(),
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
 
     banman->ClearBanned();
     int64_t nStartTime = GetTime();
diff --git a/src/test/net_tests.cpp b/src/test/net_tests.cpp
--- a/src/test/net_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/net_tests.cpp
@@ -1166,9 +1166,9 @@
     const CChainParams &params = GetConfig().GetChainParams();
 
     m_node.connman = std::make_unique<CConnmanTest>();
-    m_node.peerman = PeerManager::make(
-        params, *m_node.connman, m_node.banman.get(), *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    m_node.peerman =
+        PeerManager::make(params, *m_node.connman, m_node.banman.get(),
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
 
     bilingual_str error;
     // Init the global avalanche object otherwise the avalanche outbound
diff --git a/src/test/util/setup_common.cpp b/src/test/util/setup_common.cpp
--- a/src/test/util/setup_common.cpp
+++ b/src/test/util/setup_common.cpp
@@ -236,9 +236,9 @@
         DEFAULT_MISBEHAVING_BANTIME);
     // Deterministic randomness for tests.
     m_node.connman = std::make_unique<CConnman>(config, 0x1337, 0x1337);
-    m_node.peerman = PeerManager::make(
-        chainparams, *m_node.connman, m_node.banman.get(), *m_node.scheduler,
-        *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
+    m_node.peerman =
+        PeerManager::make(chainparams, *m_node.connman, m_node.banman.get(),
+                          *m_node.chainman, *m_node.mempool, false);
     {
         CConnman::Options options;
         options.m_msgproc.push_back(m_node.peerman.get());