Expired messages will be thrown away (or sent to the expiry queue) when you try to consume them, not before. View the original post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=viewtopic&p=4036357#4036357 Reply to the post : http://www.jboss.com/index.html?module=bb&op=posting&mode=reply&p=4036357