diff --git a/lib/puppet/provider/package/portage.rb b/lib/puppet/provider/package/portage.rb
index 8f9fb896a..b1fb5df84 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/provider/package/portage.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/provider/package/portage.rb
@@ -1,124 +1,141 @@
 require 'puppet/provider/package'
 require 'fileutils'
 
 Puppet::Type.type(:package).provide :portage, :parent => Puppet::Provider::Package do
   desc "Provides packaging support for Gentoo's portage system."
 
   has_feature :versionable
 
   commands :emerge => "/usr/bin/emerge", :eix => "/usr/bin/eix", :update_eix => "/usr/bin/eix-update"
 
   confine :operatingsystem => :gentoo
 
   defaultfor :operatingsystem => :gentoo
 
   def self.instances
-    result_format = /^(\S+)\s+(\S+)\s+\[(\S+)\]\s+\[(\S+)\]\s+(\S+)\s+(.*)$/
-    result_fields = [:category, :name, :ensure, :version_available, :vendor, :description]
-
-    version_format = "{last}<version>{}"
-    search_format = "<category> <name> [<installedversions:LASTVERSION>] [<bestversion:LASTVERSION>] <homepage> <description>\n"
+    result_format = self.eix_result_format
+    result_fields = self.eix_result_fields
 
+    version_format = self.eix_version_format
     begin
       eix_file = File.directory?("/var/cache/eix") ? "/var/cache/eix/portage.eix" : "/var/cache/eix"
       update_eix if !FileUtils.uptodate?(eix_file, %w{/usr/bin/eix /usr/portage/metadata/timestamp})
 
       search_output = nil
       Puppet::Util.withenv :LASTVERSION => version_format do
-        search_output = eix "--nocolor", "--pure-packages", "--stable", "--installed", "--format", search_format
+        search_output = eix *(self.eix_search_arguments + ["--installed"])
       end
 
       packages = []
       search_output.each_line do |search_result|
         match = result_format.match(search_result)
 
         if match
           package = {}
           result_fields.zip(match.captures) do |field, value|
             package[field] = value unless !value or value.empty?
           end
           package[:provider] = :portage
           packages << new(package)
         end
       end
 
       return packages
     rescue Puppet::ExecutionFailure => detail
       raise Puppet::Error.new(detail)
     end
   end
 
   def install
     should = @resource.should(:ensure)
     name = package_name
     unless should == :present or should == :latest
       # We must install a specific version
       name = "=#{name}-#{should}"
     end
     emerge name
   end
 
   # The common package name format.
   def package_name
     @resource[:category] ? "#{@resource[:category]}/#{@resource[:name]}" : @resource[:name]
   end
 
   def uninstall
     emerge "--unmerge", package_name
   end
 
   def update
     self.install
   end
 
   def query
-    result_format = /^(\S+)\s+(\S+)\s+\[(\S*)\]\s+\[(\S+)\]\s+(\S+)\s+(.*)$/
-    result_fields = [:category, :name, :ensure, :version_available, :vendor, :description]
-
-    version_format = "{last}<version>{}"
-    search_format = "<category> <name> [<installedversions:LASTVERSION>] [<bestversion:LASTVERSION>] <homepage> <description>\n"
+    result_format = self.class.eix_result_format
+    result_fields = self.class.eix_result_fields
 
+    version_format = self.class.eix_version_format
     search_field = package_name.count('/') > 0 ? "--category-name" : "--name"
     search_value = package_name
 
     begin
       eix_file = File.directory?("/var/cache/eix") ? "/var/cache/eix/portage.eix" : "/var/cache/eix"
       update_eix if !FileUtils.uptodate?(eix_file, %w{/usr/bin/eix /usr/portage/metadata/timestamp})
 
       search_output = nil
       Puppet::Util.withenv :LASTVERSION => version_format do
-        search_output = eix "--nocolor", "--pure-packages", "--stable", "--format", search_format, "--exact", search_field, search_value
+        search_output = eix *(self.class.eix_search_arguments + ["--exact",search_field,search_value])
       end
 
       packages = []
       search_output.each_line do |search_result|
         match = result_format.match(search_result)
 
         if match
           package = {}
           result_fields.zip(match.captures) do |field, value|
             package[field] = value unless !value or value.empty?
           end
           package[:ensure] = package[:ensure] ? package[:ensure] : :absent
           packages << package
         end
       end
 
       case packages.size
         when 0
           not_found_value = "#{@resource[:category] ? @resource[:category] : "<unspecified category>"}/#{@resource[:name]}"
           raise Puppet::Error.new("No package found with the specified name [#{not_found_value}]")
         when 1
           return packages[0]
         else
           raise Puppet::Error.new("More than one package with the specified name [#{search_value}], please use the category parameter to disambiguate")
       end
     rescue Puppet::ExecutionFailure => detail
       raise Puppet::Error.new(detail)
     end
   end
 
   def latest
     self.query[:version_available]
   end
+
+  private
+  def self.eix_search_format
+    "'<category> <name> [<installedversions:LASTVERSION>] [<bestversion:LASTVERSION>] <homepage> <description>'"
+  end
+
+  def self.eix_result_format
+    /^(\S+)\s+(\S+)\s+\[(\S*)\]\s+\[(\S*)\]\s+(\S+)\s+(.*)$/
+  end
+
+  def self.eix_result_fields
+    [:category, :name, :ensure, :version_available, :vendor, :description]
+  end
+
+  def self.eix_version_format
+    "{last}<version>{}"
+  end
+
+  def self.eix_search_arguments
+    ["--nocolor", "--pure-packages", "--format",self.eix_search_format]
+  end
 end