Ants everywhere...pest control company question

[Anonymous]

Every year we get ants and my husband will spray a little bit of ant killer here or there on the exterior of our house and it's manageable until this year. There's clearly an ant colony under our deck (they're coming in the back door) and they've now migrated to our kitchen, yikes! We have a crawling baby who is everywhere and into everything so I'm nervous to put chemicals/traps or even natural remedies (borax, cinnamon, baby powder etc.) anywhere because baby puts everything in his mouth. So...we're considering hiring a pest control company to get some expert help. My question is, do you have to sign a longterm contract with a pest control company or can I just have them come a couple of times to help with our current problem? I understand that chemicals are necessary at this point but I hate the idea of being locked into having a company spray chemicals regardless of whether or not we're experiencing a pest issue at the moment. I get that it's about prevention but I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of continuous longterm exposure to pesticides, even from the "green" companies. Am I being ridiculous? Short of just dealing with an ant invasion 24/7, what are my options?