I brought home a cutout in a nuc that looked healthy and I saw no signs of the beetles themselves. A day or two later all the bees were out of the nuc festooning from the cover and honey and beetle larvae were puking out of the entrance. I scooped up the bees and put them into a fresh hive with new frames and foundation, but they took of the next day. I guess I didn't have the queen.
Stopping them from hitting the ground is a mute point, since your hive and all it's recources will have already been destroyed. And the bees will most likely abscond.
Not fun!