Level 114 · Dung Beetle

Dung Beetle is level 114 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1296 blocks in 7 colors, the tray holds 72 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

Hard opening

Blocks

1296

Colors

7

Ant boxes

72

Mechanics

5 chained pair(s) · Ice · Mystery boxes

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

Play level 114

About the dish

A dung beetle walking backwards behind its ball, able to push a ball far heavier than itself.

How the picture comes apart

From the frame to the center the picture is 18 layers deep. The outer ring is mostly tan, the middle band is mostly tan and dark brown, and the core is mostly dark brown and navy. 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 tan and dark brown.

11% of the blocks are frozen and take two bites each.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 72 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: black (bites now), navy (has to wait), tan (bites now) and gold (has to wait).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 5, column 1–2, row 6, column 3–4, row 2, column 3–4, row 3 and column 3–4, row 4.

12 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 67 taps. The chart shows how many boxes were still parked in the 5 slots, waiting for their color, just before each tap.

Opening (taps 1–20): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 21–40): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 41–67): 33% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 0 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Chained pairs are taken at taps 4, 5, 6, 24 and 25.

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 23% of the time, and a look-ahead one that tries each option before committing cleared it 88% 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.

The opening is the hardest part here: the outer ring needs several colors at once and the front rows are scrambled. Only send colors that can bite right away during the first taps, even if it feels slow.

Ice blocks take two bites, so one block uses two ants. Icy areas are eaten slowly and the matching boxes stay in their slots a little longer.

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 · Ice blocks · 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 114 questions