Level 109 · Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis is level 109 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 6 colors, the tray holds 49 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

All the way

Blocks

1292

Colors

6

Ant boxes

49

Mechanics

5 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Mystery boxes

Like this pixel picture? BitBead can turn it into a printable fuse bead pattern.

Play level 109

About the dish

A praying mantis holding up its two sickle-like front legs, waiting perfectly still for prey to come close.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly white and brown, the middle band is mostly white and black, and the core is mostly white and green. Ants can only reach the next layer once the one around it is gone, so the core colors are the last to become useful.

By block count the biggest colors are white, black and green.

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the outer ring of the picture, so the locks they open come into play early.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 49 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: white (bites now), green (has to wait), green (has to wait) and white (bites now).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 12, column 2–3, row 2, column 2–3, row 5, column 3–4, row 10 and column 3–4, row 11.

Locked boxes start in column 3, row 13.

8 mystery box(es) only show their color when they reach the front.

How the verified run plays out

The solution further down was played to the end in the real game, with ants walking and real timing. It takes 44 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–12): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 13–27): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 28–44): 32% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 2 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

A key comes out before tap 32. Chained pairs are taken at taps 3, 8, 22, 40 and 42.

How hard is it?

Two test players attempted this level many times: a cautious one that only sends colors it can use right away cleared it 72% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 100% of the time. Most of their failed attempts jammed in the opening.

Strategy

Check the colors of the first three boxes in each column and compare them with the colors exposed on the outer ring of the picture. Always keep one slot free to catch a color that can't be eaten yet.

Tight from start to finish. Only take boxes that can send ants immediately, watch the second and third rows of the tray, and plan the next tap ahead.

Keys are buried in the picture and must be dug out to open the locks in the tray. Prioritize colors that eat around the keys so locked boxes don't block the front row for long.

Chained boxes need both halves in the front row and two free slots. Take the boxes in front of them first and free two neighboring slots in advance.

Mystery boxes show their color only when they reach the front. When you see one coming, don't fill every slot; leave room for it.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Difficulty curves

Step-by-step solution

This order of taps is verified to clear the level. Columns are numbered 1–4 from the left; after each tap, wait until the ants are out before the next one. Two boxes shown together are a chained pair taken in one tap.

Level 109 questions