Level 171 · Swallow's Nest

Swallow's Nest is level 171 of Crumb Colony. The pixel picture has 1292 blocks in 9 colors, the tray holds 88 ant boxes, and the difficulty is Expert.

Difficulty

Expert

Pacing

All the way

Blocks

1292

Colors

9

Ant boxes

88

Mechanics

7 chained pair(s) · 1 golden key(s) · Spider web (54 bites) · Mystery boxes · 4 noodle(s)

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

Play level 171

About the dish

Under the eaves was a nest the swallows had built from mud one beakful at a time, with the chicks crowding the rim, yellow beaks wide open for food. Their mother swooped low over the yard, and Grandma said a house where swallows nest is a lucky one.

How the picture comes apart

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

The 1 golden key(s) are buried in the middle band of the picture, so the locks they open come into play around the middle of the level.

The spider web covers 30 cells in the outer ring of the picture and needs 54 bites from soldier ants.

4 noodle(s) run through the picture, 122 cells in all. They can only be slurped from their ends, so they act as walls until an end is free and as tunnels after that.

Reading the tray

The tray starts with 88 boxes in 4 columns. At the start 2 of the 4 front boxes can bite right away: tan (bites now), tan (bites now), navy (has to wait) and green (has to wait).

Chained pairs start in column 1–2, row 11, column 1–2, row 14, column 1–2, row 15, column 1–2, row 17, column 1–2, row 18, column 2–3, row 22 and column 3–4, row 3.

Locked boxes start in column 3, row 17.

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

4 soldier box(es) carry the bites for the web.

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

Opening (taps 1–30): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 4 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Middle (taps 31–56): 34% of the blocks are eaten, with up to 3 of the 5 slots holding a box that is waiting.

Ending (taps 57–81): 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 30. The web breaks before tap 42. Chained pairs are taken at taps 5, 45, 50, 51, 54, 55 and 80.

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.

Nothing under the spider web can be eaten. Wait until the edge of the web is exposed before sending the soldier box (the leafy green one), or it just occupies a slot.

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.

Noodles are eaten only from an end with a white dot, never from the middle. Look for ends that are already free or about to be: slurping one opens a tunnel straight into the picture and can uncover inner colours early. A noodle with both ends buried is a wall until you dig to one of its ends.

Strategy guide: reading the tray and keeping the nest clear · Chained boxes · Locks and golden keys · Spider webs and soldier ants · Noodles · 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 171 questions