To best of my knowledge from a few years French properties should be sold with some sort of certificate to say wood was/is ok or has been treated. Check with the Notaire used on your purchase re certificate, and either him/her or local Mairie office for recommendation of local treatment company and or what to use.
Hi everyone,
Iām sorry to revive such an old post, but there seem to be some very knowledgeable people commenting here, and I have a bit of a problem.
I live in Toulouse and rent out my old apartment in Paris. The new tenant thinks there are termites. He sent me some photos. Iām not sure if I can post them here, but Iāll try.
Anyone know what this might be, and how I can treat it? Itās in the bed and a chair, but the furniture is all wood, as are the floors, so Iām very worried.
Thank you for reading!
Couldnāt figure out how to add a photo, so made it my profile picā¦
Just drag the photo to the compose window or click the upload icon 
@Catchyb
@Rob_le_Pest is our resident expert on this subject, need a better photo though I reckon
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Hi Catherine, Iāve sent you a PM asking for more photos please.
Termites arenāt restricted to the warmer southern climes, there is a healthy population in Paris; Parisians with second homes etc.
Hereās a map showing DĆ©partments in France infested with termites. http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/Dpts_termites_2016.pdf
From your profile picture (!) one canāt see too much. Please send some more by email. I suggest you get a screwdriver; with the handle you can tap the wood to see if itās hollow, or has wood munching insects. You can also use the pointy end to test the hardness of the wood.
Termites can be mistaken for white ants, but under a magnifying glass they are completely different.
Wood will either need to be treated or replaced regardless whether itās woodworm or termite. The latter does more damage quicker!
Rob
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Thank you both for your help. False alarm, it turns out it was leakage from a hole previous tenants cut into the mattress 
So good and bad newsā¦
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