Termites collect particles of precious metals such as gold when they are burrowing and then stockpile them in their mounds, often indicating a larger deposit underneath.

A study published in PLoS One and Chemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis found that termite mounds in West Australian goldfields contained high concentrations of gold. This means that the insects can be used to help humans find gold and other mineral deposits.

Aaron Stewart, an entomologist from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), said: "We're using insects to help find new gold and other mineral deposits. These resources are becoming increasingly hard to find because much of the Australian landscape is covered by a layer of eroded material that masks what's going on deeper underground."

Termites and ants burrow down deep into the material which retains a "fingerprint" of the underlying gold deposits. They then bring traces of this fingerprint to the surface and stockpile it in their mounds. In order to identify the metal accumulation in the termites, Stewart and his team use X-rays and electron microscopy. They found that they accumulated zinc, magnesium, iron and gold.

The team discovered that small ant and termite mounds are just as valuable in finding gold as mounds that are several metres tall.

They believe that insects could provide a new, cost effective way of finding new mineral deposits in Australia. Minerals represent a major export for the country, and after many decades of mining, many of the surface deposits have already been depleted. Miners need new tools to explore deeper underground.

The team found that metals also accumulate in the excretory systems of termites. The termites then actively rid their bodies of excess metals by excreting little stones, much like kidney stones in people. According to Stewart, these excretions are "a driving force in redistribution of metals near the surface".