def parse_bed(bed_file):
    """Import a BED file (where the data entries are analogous to what may be
    expected in an info_frags.txt file) and return a scaffold dictionary,
    similarly to parse_info_frags.
    """
    new_scaffolds = {}
    with open(bed_file) as bed_handle:
        for line in bed_handle:
            chrom, start, end, query, qual, strand = line.split()[:7]
            if strand == '+':
                ori = 1
            elif strand == '-':
                ori = -1
            else:
                raise ValueError('Error when parsing strand orientation: {}'
                    .format(strand))
            if int(qual) > 0:
                bed_bin = [query, -2, int(start), int(end), ori]
                try:
                    new_scaffolds[chrom].append(bed_bin)
                except KeyError:
                    new_scaffolds[chrom] = [bed_bin]
    return new_scaffolds
