Since then it further spread by similar means to other Caribbean islands and reached the maritime fringes of the southeastern United States before 1919. Cryptotermes brevis is now widely distributed worldwide. It is present in the Caribbean region, United States, Central America, tropical South America, Peru, Chile, St Helena, tropical Africa, South Africa and Madagascar. It is also invasive in Australia, where it was first observed in 1966, as well as New Caledonia, New Zealand, French Polynesia and Fiji, and has been reported from Egypt, Italy and Spain. Life cycle The Cryptotermes brevis queen lays kidney-shaped eggs and these and the developing larvae are cared for by the pseudergates. After several moults they become pseudergates and assist in the work of the colony. At a later date, some pseudergates develop wing pads and become nymphs, which after three further moults grow into alates, reproductive termites with wings. Others go on to become presoldiers with white heads and, after another moult, soldiers with black heads. There are about fifty pseudergates for every soldier in the colony, and alates are only present in the nest at certain times of year. Alates emerge from the colony through temporary holes during the swarming season. In Florida, the dispersal flights take place at night from April to June. The alates are poor fliers and on landing, soon shed their wings. A male and female pair then searches for a suitable timber structure in which to found a new colony. They enter through a hole or crack, seal the entrance with an intestinal secretion and excavate a brood chamber. The first batch of eggs is cared for by the couple for several months but after the larvae have developed into pseudergates, the pair can concentrate on egg-laying. The first soldier does not appear until the second or third years and alates may develop around year five. A mature colony may contain over a thousand termites and survive for upward of ten years. Damage Cryptotermes brevis infests sound softwood and hardwood timbers, both structural wood in buildings and moveable objects. Several colonies can co-exist in a single structure and objects as small as picture frames can be attacked. The pseudergates excavate galleries through the timber but leave a thin veneer of surface wood intact. One wooden door was found to house twenty colonies, judging by the number of reproductive pairs of termites found inside. In the later