I rarely have a failure using a large, push in cage.  But I use foundation with a plastic core - too much hassle with combs that sag out of their frames.
Small cages and lots of bees results in digging and at times almost smothering the queen.  I like a cage about the size of the size of my hand with fingers extended.   Never see much digging, and I prefer to push in the cage over an area with abut 2/3 open cells and 1/3 honey.  Plus, I make it deep enough to press down to the foundation core, but still have enough height to nearly fill the bee space.  I remove all attendents.  Queen can easily get away from any bees trying to chew on her or sting her.  She has room to roam and sufficient space to lay a pattern that can be used as an indication of her overall performance potential.
Biggest problem is the queen flyng away as one tries to put her on the comb.   One of my first lessons from a commercial beekeeper, take a glass of warm water with you.  Dunk the queen cage into the water until it is entirely under-water, then pull it back out.  The momentary drenching doesn't appear to harm the queen, but she needs to dry out a bit before she can fly.
Jerry


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