How about Argentine ants?

The word "civilization" is of course loaded. But I think the bigger questionable assumption is that intelligence is the limiting factor. Looking at the history that got us to having a globe-spanning civilization, the actual periods of expansion were often pretty awful for a lot of the people affected. Individual actors are often not aligned with building such a civilization, and a great deal of intelligence is spent on conflict and resisting the creation of the larger/more connected world.

Could a comparatively dumb species with different social behaviors, mating and genetic practices take over their planet simply by all actors actually cooperating? Suppose an alien species developed in a way that made horizontal gene transfer super common, and individuals carry material from most people they're ever met. Would they take over their planet really fast because as soon as you land on a new continent, everyone you meet is effectively immediately your sibling, and of course you'll all cooperate?