Bugs in the Fan

I started noticing some thin protrusions coming from the new exhaust fan in our bathroom ceiling. It is high up. Used a towel to swipe them away. But then they came back. I took a closer look. There were some bugs up in the fan. I thought maybe they were spiders based on the legs poking through the grate.

It was time to get rid of whatever was up there. I got some bug spray, a newspaper for swatting, and a step stool to reach the grate. I layered up with a hat, mask, long sleeve shirt, and rubber gloves. When I pulled down the grate, a hornet came flying out. Smashed it with the newspaper. Then another one came out. Smashed it too.

When I took off the grate, a bunch of dead hornets fell out. Not sure if they were just lost brothers or lunch. It was a messy job cleaning all this up. I hope I got all of them. Never had any such problem with the old fan. Maybe the lid covering the vent to the outside is defective?