jIM wrote:
[...]
A few weeks ago a loaf of banana bread was attacked by "ants"

Yesterday a drawer full of paper was attacked. Thinking that ants
don't eat paper, my thought is a termite problem.

I think the apartment is a lost cause (we got what we paid for). My
primary concern is the couch, box springs, recliner and one dresser we
have in the apartment. How can I be sure this problem does not follow
me to our newly built house?


Neither ants nor termites are going to hide inside most types of
furniture. However I did once move a cardboard box that had been stored
in a garage into an apartment and an ant nest that was living in the
box then tried to chew a hole in the wooden floor under the box. I
would suspect that any furniture or other items that sit flat on the
floor should be emptied and inspected carefully.