I don't know how long ago, maybe a couple months back, I bought a 25 lb bag of oats on a food storage kick we were on. I've kept it in my basement this whole time on top of other boxes I believe.

My question is, I just bought two 5 gallon buckets with lids (not gamma seal) and I'm wondering how I go about this. Do you think the oats are still good? Do I need to freeze them to kill bugs? Is it necessary to use gamma seal lids? I really don't know what to do next.

Thank you for any and all responses.

The 5 gallon buckets need to be lined with a plastic bag of some sort, because over time they emit toxins from the plastic that go into the food.  If you are looking for the oats to last more long term, your best bet it to can them.  The LDS Cannery rents out their canner (for free) and the cans+lid cost about 50c per can.  The cans are #10 can's, the same you buy at Maceys, however the kids can all get involved and help out.  I did a bag of oats and it took me about 10cans however the cans last for 25-30yrs!  So when my daughter is 25 I can start to rotate my storage.  Oh and the LDS Cannery give you the free labels with the cans that are great too!  More practical because each can is about 5lbs of product, and once opened can be stored for 3months...easier to eat 5lbs than 5 gallons in a couple of months, if that makes sense?

So oats are not like wheat in that they need to be frozen to kill bugs? I think I'm not going to try long-term storage just yet. I'll just be using the oats straight away. Is the plastic liner still necessary?

Thank you so much for helping me with this!

If you think your oats may have weavels, then go ahead and put it in the freezer for a day or two and then you can use it or store it.  The best thing if you want your product to last long is to store in air tight container, with an oxygen absorber in a cool place.  When I was canning my flour that had sat for a while, i found some weavels, froze it, then repackaged it...I am sure when we are in a famine...a little weavel will just add crunch to our meal? right? haha they are harmless...a pest, but harmless!

you don't need the plastic liner if you are planning on using the product quickly.

Just FYI, I'm a professional Emergency Preparedness Consultant. If you get food grade plastic buckets, they will NOT leech any chemicals, so you do not need to line the buckets. (You can even get these free at Costo or grocery store bakeries just for the asking) However, oats go bad very quickly. In the future you may want to try and obtain Groats and then flake them. Groats will store for a very, very long time.  I seal my oats in a vacume packed bag or mylar instead of storing them in buckets. They are one of the few items I dont' store in a bucket.