diff --git a/_pytest/config.py b/_pytest/config.py
index 8ac5d1a1b..c22716bb3 100644
--- a/_pytest/config.py
+++ b/_pytest/config.py
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ class PytestPluginManager(PluginManager):
         config.addinivalue_line("markers",
             "trylast: mark a hook implementation function such that the "
             "plugin machinery will try to call it last/as late as possible.")
+        while self._warnings:
+            warning = self._warnings.pop(0)
+            config.warn(code="I1", message=warning)
 
 
 class Parser:
@@ -94,7 +97,6 @@ class Parser:
         self._usage = usage
         self._inidict = {}
         self._ininames = []
-        self.hints = []
 
     def processoption(self, option):
         if self._processopt:
@@ -379,14 +381,6 @@ class MyOptionParser(py.std.argparse.ArgumentParser):
         py.std.argparse.ArgumentParser.__init__(self, usage=parser._usage,
             add_help=False, formatter_class=DropShorterLongHelpFormatter)
 
-    def format_epilog(self, formatter):
-        hints = self._parser.hints
-        if hints:
-            s = "\n".join(["hint: " + x for x in hints]) + "\n"
-            s = "\n" + s + "\n"
-            return s
-        return ""
-
     def parse_args(self, args=None, namespace=None):
         """allow splitting of positional arguments"""
         args, argv = self.parse_known_args(args, namespace)
@@ -716,7 +710,6 @@ class Config(object):
         self._preparse(args)
         # XXX deprecated hook:
         self.hook.pytest_cmdline_preparse(config=self, args=args)
-        self._parser.hints.extend(self.pluginmanager._hints)
         args = self._parser.parse_setoption(args, self.option)
         if not args:
             args.append(py.std.os.getcwd())
diff --git a/_pytest/core.py b/_pytest/core.py
index d029e7223..43d2801c0 100644
--- a/_pytest/core.py
+++ b/_pytest/core.py
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ class PluginManager(object):
         self._name2plugin = {}
         self._listattrcache = {}
         self._plugins = []
-        self._hints = []
+        self._warnings = []
         self.trace = TagTracer().get("pluginmanage")
         self._plugin_distinfo = []
         self._shutdown = []
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ class PluginManager(object):
                 raise
             elif not isinstance(e, py.test.skip.Exception):
                 raise
-            self._hints.append("skipped plugin %r: %s" %((modname, e.msg)))
+            self._warnings.append("skipped plugin %r: %s" %((modname, e.msg)))
         else:
             self.register(mod, modname)
             self.consider_module(mod)
diff --git a/_pytest/helpconfig.py b/_pytest/helpconfig.py
index 1fef7eb3f..9e31c21e7 100644
--- a/_pytest/helpconfig.py
+++ b/_pytest/helpconfig.py
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ def pytest_cmdline_main(config):
 def showhelp(config):
     tw = py.io.TerminalWriter()
     tw.write(config._parser.optparser.format_help())
-    tw.write(config._parser.optparser.format_epilog(None))
     tw.line()
     tw.line()
     #tw.sep( "=", "config file settings")
@@ -86,6 +85,8 @@ def showhelp(config):
     tw.line("to see available fixtures type: py.test --fixtures")
     tw.line("(shown according to specified file_or_dir or current dir "
             "if not specified)")
+    for warning in config.pluginmanager._warnings:
+        tw.line("warning: %s" % (warning,))
     return
 
     tw.line("conftest.py options:")
diff --git a/_pytest/terminal.py b/_pytest/terminal.py
index 4e73e40df..9b64ba336 100644
--- a/_pytest/terminal.py
+++ b/_pytest/terminal.py
@@ -348,7 +348,6 @@ class TerminalReporter:
         if exitstatus in (0, 1, 2, 4):
             self.summary_errors()
             self.summary_failures()
-            self.summary_hints()
             self.summary_warnings()
             self.config.hook.pytest_terminal_summary(terminalreporter=self)
         if exitstatus == 2:
@@ -415,11 +414,6 @@ class TerminalReporter:
                 l.append(x)
         return l
 
-    def summary_hints(self):
-        if self.config.option.traceconfig:
-            for hint in self.config.pluginmanager._hints:
-                self._tw.line("hint: %s" % hint)
-
     def summary_warnings(self):
         if self.hasopt("w"):
             warnings = self.stats.get("warnings")
diff --git a/testing/test_core.py b/testing/test_core.py
index 071a6c264..7ec8d6519 100644
--- a/testing/test_core.py
+++ b/testing/test_core.py
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@ class TestBootstrapping:
         """)
         p.copy(p.dirpath("skipping2.py"))
         monkeypatch.setenv("PYTEST_PLUGINS", "skipping2")
-        result = testdir.runpytest("-p", "skipping1", "--traceconfig")
+        result = testdir.runpytest("-rw", "-p", "skipping1", "--traceconfig")
         assert result.ret == 0
         result.stdout.fnmatch_lines([
-            "*hint*skipping1*hello*",
-            "*hint*skipping2*hello*",
+            "WI1*skipped plugin*skipping1*hello*",
+            "WI1*skipped plugin*skipping2*hello*",
         ])
 
     def test_consider_env_plugin_instantiation(self, testdir, monkeypatch):
diff --git a/testing/test_parseopt.py b/testing/test_parseopt.py
index fc09bee7c..4b3a71475 100644
--- a/testing/test_parseopt.py
+++ b/testing/test_parseopt.py
@@ -236,16 +236,6 @@ class TestParser:
         help = parser.optparser.format_help()
         assert '-doit, --func-args  foo' in  help
 
-@pytest.mark.skipif("sys.version_info < (2,5)")
-def test_addoption_parser_epilog(testdir):
-    testdir.makeconftest("""
-        def pytest_addoption(parser):
-            parser.hints.append("hello world")
-            parser.hints.append("from me too")
-    """)
-    result = testdir.runpytest('--help')
-    #assert result.ret != 0
-    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["hint: hello world", "hint: from me too"])
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif("sys.version_info < (2,6)")
 def test_argcomplete(testdir, monkeypatch):