Diplopods play an important role in the nutrients cycling and soil aeration, keeping the soil healthy and productive, integrating a beneficial macrofauna that may be liable to the action of chemicals applied in order to control and eliminate other organisms considered harmful to crops. However, diplopods can also become the target of these pesticides when they occur in large populations that invade urban areas and damage home gardens and commercial plantations. Given the fine line that makes diplopods be considered ecologically beneficial or economically troublesome, this study aims to review the action of different pesticides on these organisms, both when they are mere scapegoats and when they are the villains. Given these data, it lastly discussed the feasibility of using chemical control methods.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociência, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo, BrasilUniversidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - Departamento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociência, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo, BrasilFAPESP: process 2012/24562-5